I will be traveling with my 2 teenage sons (Victory, June 26) on a 7 night cruise.

I have a few questions -

1. How much will Carnival authorize against my credit card? I plan to use the card on shore and don't want all my available credit tied up on the S&S account.

2. Can I limit the spending allowance for my kids? Say, let them spend up to $100, and if they are going to go over that, I have to authorize more? I imagine that their accounts will be linked to mine, since I am the one paying the bills.

3. Back to #1. Am I better off just giving Carnival cash instead of my credit card for the S & S account?

>>1. How much will Carnival authorize against my credit card? I plan to use the card on shore and don't want all my available credit tied up on the S&S account.>>

They will hold $200 for a 7 night cruise.

>>2. Can I limit the spending allowance for my kids? Say, let them spend up to $100, and if they are going to go over that, I have to authorize more? I imagine that their accounts will be linked to mine, since I am the one paying the bills.<<

I honestly don't know if you can limit it if you use a card or not. If you want to limit the amount, you might want to put cash down so that you can have a specific amount they can spend. I know that the arcade will only allow $20 per card per day so they can't spend more than $20 per day in arcade!

>>3. Back to #1. Am I better off just giving Carnival cash instead of my credit card for the S & S account?>>

You can check your account daily to see how much you are spending (on some ships, by interactive TV in your room). I use my VISA check card so no credit card bill at the end of the trip! Have a great cruise.

You don't have to activate your kids cards. There's really not much for them to purchase anyway. I buy my kids a soda card and, if they want to use the arcade, they bring their own cash. Other than that, there's really no reason to buy things with all the free food and activities available. If they want something from the gift shop, they can always ask you. $100 per day is a lot, but if you give it to them, they can easily spend that in the arcade, buying "virgin" drinks and buying snacks in the gift shop. (I don't know about that $20 limit in the arcade as my kids never spent any time there). My kids, also teen boys, never felt they were missing anything by not having their cards activated. Just my opinion; it's all up to you.

1. How much will Carnival authorize against my credit card? I plan to use the card on shore and don't want all my available credit tied up on the S&S account.

They put my tips on my card automatically. Look in the Carnival brochure . If you don't have one, email me and I will send you one. This is what the brochure says, "A min. deposit will be required for cash accounts: 2-4 days $100.00. 5 to 8 day cruises $200.00. 9 days or longer cruises $350.00.

2. Can I limit the spending allowance for my kids? Say, let them spend up to $100, and if they are going to go over that, I have to authorize more? I imagine that their accounts will be linked to mine, since I am the one paying the bills.

I always go to the Purser's office when I first board and request a limit be placed on my kids accounts. I prepared to disembark on one cruise prior to this arrangement, and found out that my ds had placed $150.00 video game charges on his sail-n-sign card. I was upset that he didn't ask me first. If he had asked me first.

3. Back to #1. Am I better off just giving Carnival cash instead of my credit card for the S & S account?

When you go to embarkation, everyone is asked for a credit card. This is because at the end of the cruise they want to be able to charge your card for anything owed on your account. This enables the disembarkation process to move swiftly. I prefer to put cash on my account. The S & S account is similar to an ATM account. You can check the balance on your t.v. in your cabin. Or you can go to the Purser's desk for help.

this whole sign & sail card business has been a big sticking point for our group of 20 people. I have called carnival 3 times....received 3 different answers...on the third cll i requested a manager answer and give me his name. We have 3 kids...18-20. they want their own sing & sail accounts despite being in their parents cabin. Thats no problem i was told on all 3 occassions. after being told several amounts that would Have to be placed ont he account at embarkation....the end result was thus:
the prepaid $10 a day tip must be put on the account...be it cash or credit, doesnt matter. and that they have changed the policy and now...aside from the pre-paid tip, anything over that is at Your Own Discretion. There is no longer a minimum that must be put on the account. this was a big releif for 3 kids not old enuff to drink. they are buying pop cards and dont really shop, so they want to save their $$ for ports and woul dhave hated to waste it sitting in some sing & sail account, useless to them.

>>the prepaid $10 a day tip must be put on the account...be it cash or credit, doesnt matter. and that they have changed the policy and now...aside from the pre-paid tip, anything over that is at Your Own Discretion.>>

The $10 per person per day are put on your sail and sign, BUT you can remove them the instant you board if you like. You don't *have* to pay any tips at all - but please do!

We have thought about giving each one of our girls one of those Visa Buxx cards with a certain amount of money on it and tying it to their sign & sail cards. They will be in a different cabin than us. They are both in college, so their job is to exhaust us of money so, why not give them more!! Really, that way, IF they see something in the gift shop, want to buy a picture, etc. (we have one who is "Legal") or a fruu fruu drink,(they will still have fountain drink cards) they have that money to spend the way they want to without having to ask us if it's OK or even not getting something they want because they don't WANT to ask...........does that make sense.???..............just know they WILL spend it all! They can be in the same room with you and have their VISA Buxx against their S&S account. Hey, then when it's gone, it's gone.......I know I don't like having to "ask" if I can spend money on something. I think you can get them in any amount you want, doesn't have to be $100 (that's a lot of money even for my girls!)

actually...this same manager said the tips could NOT be adjusted till the end of the cruise...and then, yes they could be adjusted up or down. hhmm...all the boys are ready and willing to pay that anyway...but i wnder if its true. i know my brothers family of 5 in his cabin....$350 is gonna be hard for him .....one of them is 2 yars old though, so i told him they wont charge tips for the baby. hope thats right?

I'm a 16 year old guy and have been on 5 cruises. I always use my sail and sign card for non-alcoholic pina-coladas, margeritas, and stuff like that. I think they average out like 4 bucks per drink. I dont really spend money in the arcade, and when i did i didnt think i could use my card to do so. So unless your kids will run crazy with it.. activate it, but just tell them not to go wild... theres really not much they can buy other than stuff from the gift shop, or internet access (which is so high i didnt even bother with it).

I am taking a group of 50 that includes several 18 year olds and they told me they could not use a Visa Bux card for their sign and sail. You can't use debit cards, visa/mc gift cards. You can use a debit card if it is secured by Visa/MC, etc.. We prepaid our tips and are hoping to just have them put 100 on hold for each kid.

I'm not sure I am reading that correctly - my bank card (linked directly to my checking account, NOT a credit card) has a VISA logo on it, but it is not a credit card (I never use credit cards if I can avoid it).

Will that be okay for the sail and sign account? (Fact is - there is way more my checking account than on my credit card )

Diverbl,
Some cards are BOTH debit/credit cards, and some are JUST debt cards or check card. The debit/credit cards usually have no limit. When we tried to use our debit/check card, also had a VISA logo on it, also linked directly to our checking account, we ran into trouble. We only had a $300/day limit and when we put all our excursions on it the first day, plus drinks, purchases, etc, that was much more than the limit. Check with you bank, tell them you need a higher "per day" limit, maybe explaining you're on vacation. We always carry an empty credit card for emergencies. Happy Cruising! 44 more days for me!!

I have used a debit/credit card (it too has the Visa logo) and it worked just fine. There was no limit per day, just as long as there is enough money in the account.- I never did use it at any of the ports though... just only for sail & sign. Good Luck!
Bon Voyage!
S~

I've cruised twice using a pre-paid mc with the logo on front. Never had a problem but they do put a hold on ur card. The first time I used it they did not place a hold on the card. The second time we cruised (Oct 04) they placed a $ 250 hold, and then a week after the cruise I recieved a credit for that amount. I have sailed with Carnival twice, and I too will be cruising soon with three 18 yr old girls. I think this time I will place cash on sail and sign account. Hope this helps...

Okay, this one may sound like a really stupid question, and this is probably not the appropriate thread for it but - when we are talking about the automatic tips on the sail and sign account, that is different than PREPAID gratuities, right? When I booked the cruise, I paid in full and also paid $10 per person per day for gratuities.

I am guessing that my sail and sign card will not be charged again, right???

Thanks. This is the first time I did the prepaid (at time of booking) gratuities. Just want to make sure (a) I dont pay twice and (b) they don't hold money on my account for something that has already been paid.